One-Pot Butternut Squash Alfredo

I love squash. It is a love that came late in life, but maybe that is why my affection is that much stronger. When I saw this recipe pop up on Facebook I knew I had to try it. So, thanks Tasty for the brilliant idea! 

One-Pot Butternut Squash Alfredo. Beautiful! And delicious. And my kids ate it without complaints. 

Have I mentioned I have 4 kids? They are great. Charming, cute, clever, creative children. But, taking them all to the grocery store at 6:00 on a Friday evening is not my idea of a great time, so when I discovered that I was missing some of the ingredients for this Tasty Butternut Squash Alfredo I had two choices: serve cereal for dinner, or improvise. Since the squash was already hacked apart, improvise it was. The end result was a family of happy, full tummies. 

Saucy, flavorful, with a wonderful consistency, this is a fantastic dish! And, it makes a ton. 16 oz is a lot of pasta, so be prepared for equally scrumptious leftovers.

A word to the wise: make sure you use a large pot. It will make it easier to stir the noodles while they are cooking with the sauce. One more tip- it does take a while for the noodles to cook. I stirred for for 25-30 minutes. It is pretty amazing watching the sauce and noodles come together. When I first put the noodles into the pot, I thought I was making a complete mess, but as I kept stirring everything came together. Don't let the long stir-time put you off. Think about the all the pots and pans you would have to scrub if you made the sauce and noodles separately! This One-Pot Butternut Squash Alfredo is worth the stirring! 

One-Pot Butternut Squash Alfredo

Inspired by Tasty

Ingredients: 

• 4 tbs butter
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup asiago cheese, shredded
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh cracked pepper 
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 16 oz fettuccine noodles, uncooked

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, melt butter and saute garlic until fragrant over a medium-high heat, about 2 minutes.
2. Add onion powder, sage, rosemary, chicken broth, and butternut squash. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender.
3. Mash the squash in the pot. Add 2 cups of milk, asiago cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.
4. Add the noodles, remaining milk, and water. Begin stirring.
5. Stir the noodles in the sauce continuously, until noodles are al dente. This takes about 20-30 minutes.
6. Top with fresh rosemary and more asiago cheese if desired.

Bake the bread. Share the slices.